Tag Archives: universe

Canada has invaded. The soldiers are legion. They are large. They are serious. Or . . . at least I thought so. Canadian soldiers, I now learn, are evidently synonymous with mayflies. Mayflies do frequent the Cleveland area, coming off Lake Erie to menace the streets and beaches only to die 3 days later. They show up on radar as if they’re rain. More aptly referred to as northern invaders, then, would be those mayflies.

What I’ve been seeing take over our neighborhood and flit their delicate ways into our house to hang out on the wall are called crane flies. These look a bit like daddy longlegs (those aren’t spiders, by the way), a bit like huge mosquitoes (which apparently I think is spelled without the “e” like Tostitos), and, I guess to me, something like Canadian soldiers.

Encyclopaedia Britannica indicates that in English-speaking countries other than the U.S., crane flies are known as daddy longlegs, but we Americans commonly know daddy longlegs to be a kind of spider. Both have long legs, so I guess we can’t fault non-Americans for the nickname. So, in a roundabout way, Canada has invaded after all.

The plot thickens, though, because the U.S. daddy longlegs are also known as harvestmen. Harvestmen are actually an order of arachnids called opiliones. Also unbeknownst to me, not all arachnids are spiders. “Spiders are the largest order in the class, which also includesscorpions, ticks, mites, harvestmen, andsolifuges.[2]” (I thought scorpions were in a separate class of arthropod.) So, although they’re arachnids, not even U.S. daddy longlegs are spiders.

True insects, crane flies by contrast are wiry aerial dancers that do not bite as mosquitoes do. Leggier than winged, in the style of powder billowing out when disturbed, they emerge from the lawn at dusk as we walk among and stir them up. The dog, already prone to chasing bugs, will perk up and pounce toward one or two when he notices.

What’s my point? The point is that I’ve never seen so many of these what I would normally call Canadian soldiers, and never any so huge. One we found on the wall in the family room the other day—they seem to linger in wall corners—appeared to be at least four inches in diameter from front toe to back toe, or top to bottom. Normally, they seem to max out at about two inches. This is novelty in our little corner of the animal kingdom, albeit in a slender, wispy, monochrome form.

They’ve been around for a couple of weeks now. While relatively harmless, crane flies still bother this homeowner, who likes to keep the bugs out and the human and canine animals in. Then again, our neighborhood was built on one vast universe of pavement ants, so keeping out some species of insects has been a losing battle. In that respect, I think I prefer the crane flies.

I also don’t particularly enjoy being tickled by insects while walking the dog, especially at night. Despite their not being spiders, the effect of the crane flies’ legs is to make one think for a moment that one has stepped across a spider thread, which I often do when passing trees along the sidewalk during otherwise pleasant evenings. Typically, those threads drape perfectly across my face and neck so that I’m scrambling to wipe them away. But, again, if the tickling must happen, I’d prefer the non-sticky variety. Crane flies will do.

Now I’m so excited to deliver, for this dedicated Outlander tourism series, a final set of experience-based tips, insights, and resources! Long-term project turns fait accompli. The series would not be whole without my top overseas travel tips, a survival guide, reviews of travel apps, insights on where we slept and ate (with photos), my list of touchstone regional Scotland websites, and some closing thoughts to tie it all together. I hope all six parts of this Outlander tourism series prove helpful and that you’re managing Droughtlander like a “sturdy” OL fan.

Disclaimer: My blog series content is based on a family trip to Scotland in September 2016. Remember to verify details to make your travel experience as smooth as possible, especially if you take the DIY approach. I share ideas to get you started, but info, resources, and site access can change or be incomplete. The UK and Scotland’s hospitality sector, including property owners and stewards of film sites, have the final say. Research and confirm with contacts directly in advance.

Top Five Tips for Travel Overseas

Now that you, the Outlander fan, know you really want to go to Scotland, and as you’ve started saving for the trip, it’s time (unless you already went!) to accomplish things that must be in place or in progress before your trip is imminent.

Next are my top tips for the U.S. traveler headed to Scotland, though the ideas apply to all travel abroad. Thoughts and resources for acting on the tips follow the list.

Incidentally, if you haven’t yet read Part 4 of this series, it will take you through our entire planning process, complete with itinerary snapshots comparing plans with actual results, plus reflections on the whole 14-day Scotland travel experience. Take a look!

#1 – The Passport: Before diving into specifics, take the most important step. If you don’t yet have a valid passport or are not sure it’s current, that’s business item number one. If your passport’s expiration date is too close to your dates of travel, even if it comes after them, your passport may not be accepted. Do your homework so you can pass.

#2 – Grab Your Guides: Be sure any travel guide book you consider buying includes some kind of survival guide section or street smarts feature. I’ll unpack the survival guide concept later in this post. Online government sites and articles can also be helpful on topics such as car insurance and car rental abroad (called “car hire” in the UK), travel insurance, rules of the UK road, and passport regulations.

#3 – Do I Really Have To? (Maybe Not): Save yourself some time and money by checking multiple sources before following advice that costs you both. For example, my husband and I discovered only upon arriving at our car hire office that we need not have paid for and gone through the trouble of obtaining international driver’s licenses. This may not be true of all car hire companies, so check before you travel.

#4 – The Travel Agent: Think about your tour priorities and unique circumstances so you can decide whether to go the DIY route or join a group tour for your entire trip. Enlisting the aid of a travel agent may be your best entree, especially for vacation packages. Do-it-yourselfers like me might appreciate the peace of mind of having the right travel agent on your side. I found it invaluable to ask questions and discuss ideas with my agent. He also booked our airfare and lodging package on our behalf, which saved us time, hassle, and money.

#5 – Secure Yourself: Don’t give issues of personal, digital, and overall travel security short shrift. Travel insurance may be a beneficial investment for you. With the right policy, you gain the freedom to focus on the fun, knowing you’re covered in case of X, Y, or Z unpleasantness. Buying Allianz travel insurance was affordable, convenient, and satisfying for us. I recommend Allianz without hesitation, but know your options, too.

Using Your Travel Guide

After you square away the passport, turn your attention to tip 2, the specifics of where you most want to go and what you most want to see and do during your trip. Get out those travel guides, take some notes, and chat it up. Again, see Part 4 under the sections “Where I Started” and “Scotland Guidebooks” for a list of print travel guides I used.

As I suggested previously, you can approach this either by exploring regional info sections of guidebooks or specialized websites, or by searching for certain activities, attractions, and tours, and then fitting those to time and place. The process should get you excited about travel planning and motivate you when the logistical slogging phase arrives—shortly. Here are some reminders of resources I shared earlier.

Along with the following guides, I’ve included a list of links to touchstone regional resources of Scotland. See the bottom section of this post for those regional starting points: “Appendix: Guides to Adventures in Cities and Regions.”

NOTE: Those are good regional starting points, but there’s a lot more where they came from, ready to be shared. Just say the word! Leave a comment or question, and I’ll get back to you with whatever I may have on the topic you raise.

Online Guides to Scotland

Along with specific resources for regions, areas, or individual sites (see the print travel guides or this post’s “Appendix”), it’s a great idea to orient yourself to the comprehensive websites for general Scotland tourism such asVisitScotland.com andGazetteer for Scotland. Those were my go-to Internet sources for extensive place name lists, maps, and info (both), accurate historical and statistical profiles of regions and cities (Gazetteer), and up-to-date accommodation, attraction, and dining ideas (VisitScotland).

Try out a few of these broad-ranging web resources, and find one or two that you are most comfortable navigating and that consistently deliver the results you seek. Here are some possibilities. Blurbs are from the sources (parentheses mine).

Rough Guides – The Rough Guide to Scotland (roughguides.com/shop/rough-guide-scotland/) – The new, full-colour Rough Guide to Scotland is the definitive travel guide to this gem of a country. In-depth coverage of its burgeoning food scene, artistic innovations and awe-inspiring wild places. (for purchase)Undiscovered Scotland: Home Page (undiscoveredscotland.co.uk) – The home page of Undiscovered Scotland, a combination of visitor guide, accommodation listing and business directory; aims to show you what the country is really like. (See also theirCouncils, Regions, and Counties page, which links to breakdowns of three different types of government divisions of landwithin the country.)

Scotland – The Guide to Scotland – Travel History and Places (scotland.org.uk/guide/) Travel Scotland: Find the Freedom – Tells the story and inside info on places and history. Independent info about Scotland: travel, tours, accommodation, sightseeing, outdoor activities, castles, genealogy, etc, including the Highlands & Islands.

Itinerary Design

Once you have an idea of your preferred main attractions, take a crack at designing your itinerary, matching your moves on the map with the slots in your schedule. Consider your budget, timing, and comfort needs during transit and overnight stays. Strive for a balance between seeing those most important highlights and sparing enough energy to enjoy the experience without coming home flat broke in the end. Below are some tools for making a detailed plan. Just remember, be flexible even after the fancy printout; life happens, and in Scotland so does the weather, even on vacation.

KAYAK.COM – (text mine) I thought their itinerary creation tool was the best and most secure among several I tried—all of those below. Create an account, login, go to Trips, add a trip, and enter your details!

Reality Check: Travel Agents

Now that you have an exciting rough sketch of your awesome trip, it’s time to consider consulting a travel agent to disabuse you of any extremely unrealistic notions you may have developed by this time. Talk to an agent, or at least an outside party—a friend, online travel planning expert, relative, or just a person who’s been there before—to get some healthy perspective on your plan so far.

While you’re doing this, start getting some of those new questions answered that popped up during your perusal of the so-helpful-but-so-overwhelming travel guides. Ask the travel agent, who may help cut down research time and confusion-related stress. Note that this step combines tips #3 and #4 above.

The travel agent is a resource that, with a little forethought, can help in more ways than implied by the term “travel agent.” Ask about budget, financing, realistic timing, building in down time, ensuring time to eat, ways to streamline or increase the value of your experience, deals and packages, tour group options, and more.

By now, good travel agents should be aware of Outlander’s impact on Scottish tourism. They should have some idea of the rise in numbers of visits to Edinburgh, if not exactly why they’ve risen. If the agent’s missing the “why,” then you’ll have the chance, as I did, to educate them about the greatness that is the world of Outlander.

It’s natural for a U.S. travel agent to be most familiar with Caribbean and European river cruises, but good agents can guide you to wherever in the world you wish to go. At minimum, your travel agency should have some info ready on packages, cruises, guides, and in-depth resources for UK travel, if not Scotland travel. Ensure your agent can promptly pull up options beyond London. If they can’t, find another agent.

The best travel agent is a planning partner, adding value beyond flight/hotel discounts—without adding fees. We were glad to have this with Brian Chima at Chima Travel in Akron, Ohio. Note: I’ve never met Brian in person; we conducted all business by phone and email. So even if you’re not in northeast Ohio, Chima Travel may still be an option.

Traveler Protection

With safety and security, focus on a few key factors: insurance, personal security, and digital security. Decide how important your investment is to you because that’s what your trip is—an investment in enhancing your life with a one-of-a-kind experience.

You may find it worthwhile, at some level, to protect that investment with travel insurance. There are certain tried and true companies, as well as different levels of protection to purchase. It’s worth a little research and discussion with your travel partner(s) to familiarize yourselves with the options.

Below are travel insurance resources I consulted. Several proved insightful. We went with Allianz for travel insurance; it was a great choice insofar as we didn’t have to use the policy’s benefits. Cross your fingers, say your prayers, but protect yourself, too.

NOTE: Rental car insurance is a separate concern from overall travel insurance. We discovered our AllState auto coverage would not apply overseas. Unless we bought a separate policy, we wouldn’t be covered while driving in Scotland. So we added rental car insurance to our travel insurance policy at a reasonable daily rate. If we’d bought it with Alamo, costs would have risen. See the Car Hire/Rental section of the Survival Guide below for more information.

Travel Guard – Cancel for Any Reason Travel Insurance Coverage (travelguard.com) – The Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option is available as an upgrade when you purchase the Platinum, Gold, My Travel Guard or Great Outdoors plan and is a great option that allows travelers to cancel their trip for any reason not otherwise covered in their base plan, provided they cancel their trip >48 hours before their departure date.

Best Gear for Travel | The Wirecutter – We put in another year and tens of thousands more miles of travel to test the best travel gear—and we stand by last year’s choices alongside a few new picks.

Packing Cubes & Folders – TravelSmith – Shop TravelSmith for packing cubes for travel and packing cubes for suitcases. Visit our site for how to use packing cubes and travel cubes and the best assortment of eagle creek packing cubes and packing sleeves.

Packing Cubes | Pack Smarter – eBags.com – Pack like a neat freak – even if you’re not one. Designed with efficiency in mind, packing cubes allow you to pack more while taking up less space. Shop now.

Although we didn’t go with packing cubes, I did buy some handy vacuum-less compression bags to pack clothes in to reduce their bulk.

It’s also a good idea to buy an RFID protective wallet, to protect your credit cards and passport from digital hacking. Ody and Tarriss both offer good product options.

Of course, be sure to keep updated on the latest airline and airport regulations for managing checked luggage and carry-on bags.

Survival Guide: Travel Logistics & Street Smarts

The following website collection covers a range of information on services for safe and legal travel, banking & currency, communications & media, state systems & practices, infrastructure, transport to & from, and navigation. Book guides should also advise travelers on health, city savvy, and any nation-specific nuances. Again, make sure some of your guide materials go into travel logistics and survival.

Keep in mind: This list represents our own interests during planning, plus specific services we engaged and investigated along the way. It’s not exhaustive, and obviously not everyone will need or want all resources. Consider it a sample starting point. For instance, because we used mass transit in Edinburgh and drove a rental car for more of Glasgow, I list the main Edinburgh bus system but not the Glasgow bus companies. However, we did enjoy touring with the hop-on, hop-off bus one day in metro Glasgow.

Blurb text for each listing is the organization’s unless otherwise noted.

Government

Parliament, Scottish – Official site with information on MSPs, history, buildings and current business.

Banking & Currency / Savings

XE: (GBP/USD) British Pound to US Dollar Rate (xe.com) – Calculate live US Dollar to British Pound foreign exchange rates with this free currency converter. You can convert currencies and precious metals with this currency calculator.

Note: Our bank advised us to convert some of our dollars to pounds before flying so we wouldn’t be scrambling or delayed by trying to find a bank or fee-based machine between landing and taxi hire. Good advice.

Taxi Note: My husband and I found the Edinburgh International Airport taxi service (name unknown) to be very friendly and professional. Availability of taxis was sparse when we first arrived from baggage claim, so efficiency may be a question, but the stewards and driver were helpful and pleasant. The taxi was clean and comfortable.

Buses

UK Bus Checker – (text mine) For great help with buses in Edinburgh and Glasgow, a reliable service with a good interface is UK Bus Checker. It provides schedules and alerts for which bus stops are nearest your current location. UK Bus Checker displays live, up-to-the-minute countdowns when the next bus approaches that nearest stop. Maps show bus stops with pegs as on Google maps, and every stop between any two end points lists which bus lines use that stop. Live route maps let you trace where a bus will go on its route while you’re on it, and there’s also a journey planner tool.

West Coast Railways – West Coast Railways, Carnforth. Independent Train Operating Company – along some of the UKs most…

West Coast Railways is the company through which to book the Glenfinnan Viaduct trip between Fort William and Mallaig on the west coast, the viaduct being a site they used to film Harry Potter. The iconic transport is the Jacobite Steam Train. The Glenfinnan Monument, Glenfinnan, marks the spot where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised the Scottish standard to start the 1745 Jacobite Rising.

West Highland Rail Guides: One audio guide I found really fun to use during our West Coast Railways trip on 23rd September I found through the West Highland Lines version of the app called View from the Train: route “Fort William – Mallaig.” After you select among three available routes, a map pops up with the stops indicated. There you select the station you’re starting from. The journey begins with a well-performed audio tour accompanied by transcript text you can read as you go. Each page includes play button, transcript, and a picture of the area being discussed. It was a nice supplement, with different insights, to the brochures the rail company provided.

Auto/Private Vehicle

UK_speed_limits.png (highwaycodeuk.co.uk) (A good idea to review since few speed limits are posted en route; you’re simply expected to know based on the type of road you’re on – a tip from a fellow Outlander friend)

Scotland Customized Map | Mapcustomizer.com (mapcustomizer.com/map/Scotland_Trip) (A snapshot of a group of 12 centrally located Outlander filming venues that I flagged and put together. This resource is not quite as sophisticated as the itinerary tools shared earlier, but it’s handy for a relatively quick sketch.)

I was able to do better in my online shopping for good car rental rates than my otherwise very helpful travel agent Brian Chima, so we used my results for that. After searching through and comparing Priceline, Expedia, CarRentals.com, RentalCars.com and others, I used my Alamo Insider status to book through them. Part of the same team are Alamo, Enterprise, and National.

Cruises by Jacobite also does Loch Ness cruises, and there are river-to-sea cruises along the Clyde available from Glasgow. For a general search, start at VisitScotland.

Walking

Top tip from the same Outlander friend who traveled a few months before us: Wear comfortable shoes, especially in Edinburgh, an old, hilly, cobblestone-heavy city. Shoes with good ankle support and cushioned soles. I concur. Hiking boots for country treks. Due to their bulk, consider wearing them on the plane to save suitcase space.

Terrain

Maps – MunroMagic.com (A page from the Loch Tulla area on our way up through Glen Coe, for the munro Beinn Odhar. A Google map.)

Climate & Weather

You’re not likely to avoid at least one of either cold, rain, strong wind, or clouds during a trip of any significant length in Scotland, but if you’re a weather geek like my husband, you might find some of these resources interesting, if not quite reassuring.

Certainly, as you plan your trip, taking averages and tendencies into account isn’t a bad idea, and knowing when the sun rises and sets helps with scheduling. In our September trip, days were getting shorter, and fall color doesn’t peak till a bit later in the year.

A climate tip from our Outlander friend: Wear several light layers whether indoors or out, in addition to a coat outdoors if needed. The Scottish indoors tend to be hot because there is no air conditioning in most older, smaller buildings and rustic inns. Up-scale, urban hotels are usually air-conditioned, but expect most interiors from buses to taxis to museums to pubs to be rather warm in the summer, if not year round.

Travel Essentials: Sleep, Eat, Do

I won’t pretend to be an expert on where to eat and sleep any more than I am on other aspects of overseas journeys. There’s already plenty of expert advice, professional services, and phone apps galore to help with these essentials. I’ll just continue with sample resources based on our personal preferences and decisions.

Our Chain Hotels

We got a hotel package through our travel agent for our Edinburgh and Glasgow stays (start and finish of our trip), targeting Marriott properties so we could use my husband’s rewards. That landed us at Residence Inn Edinburgh and Glasgow Marriott, which were both very accommodating accommodations with great staff.

A special shout-out to Ryan at Glasgow Marriott, who corrected a booking date glitch in our reservation and gave us executive lounge access for our trouble.

Our Luxury B&B

I did my own searching and querying to a large number and variety of specialized lodging options throughout central Scotland and Inverness-shire, investigating the Trossachs and Cairngorms National Parks, as well as towns along the Great Glen. My husband and I decided to go budget for one B&B and indulge a little in another.

“This is what it means to be pampered. Ample parking, cozy sitting room spaces with books and games, breakfast made-to-order, delicious black pudding, fresh fruit, great coffee, beautiful views inside and out. Look out for the adorable little terrier, and for the pheasant! We loved everything about our room, which was eminently comfortable and aesthetically pleasing.

Nairn suite at Daviot Lodge, Daviot, Inverness-shire

Daviot Lodge from parking lot

Nairn suite at Daviot Lodge, Daviot, Inverness-shire

Daviot Lodge, Daviot, Inverness-shire

Nairn suite at Daviot Lodge, Daviot, Inverness-shire

“The Hutchesons were very helpful with travel tips and restaurant bookings, even providing us with a map of the area. Don’t miss the Culloden Battlefield and Visitor Centre museum! The food at Culloden Moor Inn is great, too. The Clava Cairns are also rather wonderful. Cawdor Castle is very scenic. Beauly Priory is gorgeous.

“Daviot Lodge is a quiet, peaceful country retreat on farm land…, yet only a few minutes from downtown Inverness. With this luxury B&B, you can’t go wrong.”

Seabank | VisitScotland – All rooms are en-suite with TV/DVD, hairdryer, iron/ironing board, tea/coffee making facilities, towels, Wi-Fi and extra bed linen. Our family room sleeps up to 4 people. We also offer a hearty breakfast using only quality ingredients. (“En suite” refers to where the bathroom facilities are located–in the room. Look for that if you prefer your own private restroom and shower to a communal spot.)

I posted my review of Seabank B&B on TripAdvisor just after Christmas 2016:

“Location: 4, Service/Staff: 5, Cleanliness: 5, Facilities: 3.5. Overall: 4. This economy lodging was very good. Dave and Sandy are thoughtful, efficient, accommodating, and very welcoming. Their friendliness and efforts to tailor breakfast and make our room available early to store bags were above expectations. Food was delicious, the spread of options very satisfactory, and the view (of Loch Long, Arrochar) naturally majestic. Coffee was particularly good.

“In-room materials provided tips and options for restaurants and other needs in well-organized and informative fashion. Communication was thorough, prompt, helpful with special local considerations, and convenient with email for pre-visit preparations and post-visit receipt.

“Facilities were well maintained, cozy and manageable. Some visitors may find the room a bit cramped. The bathroom is very slender and sink rather petite so would not be recommended for those with disabilities. Furthermore, the bed was rather uncomfortable because too hard for me; my husband had no trouble.

“The shower was good. We would gladly have extended our 2-night stay if it had been possible. Recommended for most travelers.”

Dalhousie Castle And Spa | VisitScotland – Dalhousie Castle is located in Midlothian Scotland, near the town of Bonnyrigg, just 8 miles from Edinburgh’s city centre.The caste was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie, the chieftains of Clan Ramsay.

Our Edinburgh Dining

In Edinburgh, we had particularly excellent dining experiences at Hanam’s (see my post reviewing Hanam’s) on Castle Hill and at Vittoria on the George IV Bridge (comfort Italian with gluten-free pastas available).

Another Edinburgh treasure is Jasmine, the Chinese restaurant across from the Royal Lyceum Theatre. We had just left the Lyceum, having seen John McGrath’s electric, ceilidh-style Scottish history play The Cheviot, the Stag, and the Black, Black Oil, brilliantly updated and performed by Dundee Rep Theatre. At Jasmine, after a long day of Outlander touring and an evening play, we re-fueled just before Jasmine closed at 11pm. I savored the delicious roast duck with plum sauce. Then, we slept in on Sunday.

I also really liked a cullen skink lunch at The Scottish Café, the National Gallery on The Mound, but service was very slow and threw off afternoon plans for our last day in the city. We had a date with Alamo/Enterprise for our rental car before dinner at Hanam’s.

Our Loch Lomond Dining

For most Loch Lomond-area establishments and any sought-after places, be sure to reserve your space at dinner in advance, early the same day or the day before. Daviot Lodge (Daviot, Inverness-shire) and Seabank (Arrochar, Trossachs, Argyll) both offered assistance with reservations, given proper notice.

Although we got caught in the rain after dark without a reservation on the 21st, a winding drive farther north along Loch Lomond from Seabank B&B allowed us to sample The Drovers Inn, Inverarnan, where we ran into our new friend Ádhamh Ó Broin from the prior day’s Argyll excursions. Happy accidents! Food was served late. Loch Lomond Restaurant at The Drovers Inn gave me a comforting meal of bangers and mash. A charming old stay, established 1705, lodging options start here: Drovers Inn and Lodge.

Our Fort William & Mallaig Dining

Maybe I just chose the wrong menu item, but I had only a so-so chicken dish at The Terrace, West Highland Hotel, Mallaig, halfway through our Jacobite train ride.

A forgettable burger with chips awaited us at a pub in Fort William as we headed down to Glasgow for the final leg of our trip. I don’t even remember the place’s name.

Our Cairngorms Dining

Balavil Hotel Restaurant & Bar in Newtonmore, near the Highland Folk Museum (an OL filming site), is where I enjoyed a dinner of Cairngorm ale battered cod and chips, along with the same variety of Dalwhinnie (local) whisky we had sampled at Doune Castle during our Outlander Tour with Slainte Scotland: balavil menus 2016.cdr – Menu 2016.pdf

We also enjoyed a great dining experience at The Riverside Restaurant (riversiderestaurant.info/ – includes their menus) downtown, not to be confused with River House, which is across the River Ness from Riverside. Both are highly rated options. See also TripAdvisor’s Riverside page.

We crossed the vibrating Greig Street bridge to get to Riverside from our parking spot after we discovered River House was booked full. The bridge didn’t vibrate on the walk back, but for some reason it had freaked me out a bit.

The starters I wanted to sample were dainty and well presented, so I paired the scallops & black pudding with an appetizer of “Munros of Dingwall Haggis bon bons rolled in oatmeal served with a potato croquette, turnip puree & peppercorn sauce with a dash of Highland Single Malt Whisky.” The haggis was better than the potatoes. My husband had the large house salad (pictured above), which he enjoyed along with a main entrée.

See the Google map screen capture below for the locations (counter-clockwise from top left/east) of Ash Restaurant, The Riverside Restaurant, River House, the Inverness Museum, and Inverness Castle.

Downtown Inverness on Google Maps, boldfaced labels mine

Our Glasgow Area Dining

After a nice lunch at the Kelvingrove Gallery & Art Museum (I had shepherd’s pie), we visited Glasgow Cathedral, followed by a walk through the shopping district. We then decided to take tea (our first UK tea-time experience) at Glasgow icon, The Willow Tea Rooms, 97 Buchanan Street.

Modeled after Kate Cranston’s Ingram Street Tea Rooms designed by famed artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the early 1900s, The Willow Tea Rooms present a cheerful, elegant atmosphere with great treats. I had Jasmine tea, my husband took Kenyan, and we enjoyed mini-sandwiches and a gluten-free chocolate brownie with clotted cream.

our spread, The Willow Tea Rooms

tea to ourselves, The Willow Tea Rooms, Glasgow

tea time, The Willow Tea Rooms

Like a character out of Lewis Carroll’s Alice books, an inchworm insisted on enjoying the atmosphere with us during tea. Otherwise, we had the 2nd floor nearly to ourselves.

The Cotton House is a hidden jewel of a Chinese and Thai establishment in Longcroft, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire. We ate here after swinging by Outlander studios (LBP Outlander Ltd.) in Cumbernauld on our way back to Glasgow from Linlithgow Palace, Linlithgow. I thoroughly enjoyed my pad Thai, and we had a nice chat with our friendly server, who was surprised to see American tourists in this industrial neighborhood. We credited the Outlander phenomenon. It’s a very popular local restaurant, especially at Christmas. It was even hopping during our rainy, late-September lunch hour.

Attractions & Events

Superlatives: Best-of Lists for Scotland

Once you get a broad scan of ideas, you may find yourself link hopping to various best-of lists online. Here are some I found myself exploring, usually at The Daily Record or Scotland Now (also a Daily Record outlet). Lots of pretty pictures.

Special Events on Select Dates

Various traditions of book, film, music, and other festivals, feast days, the Edinburgh military tattoo, regional Highland Games, Gatherings, and other exciting special events occur on select dates in the Scottish calendar. Most major events are during summer, but Hogmanay (New Year’s) and Burns Night (January 25th) are some of the biggest Scottish holidays. Several smaller festivals favor spring and fall as well.

Keep the seasons in mind as you peruse different parks and gardens to visit so you’ll be sure to see them in all their glory—summer, spring or fall. For instance, rhododendrons are a frequently advertised May spectacle.

Something else that interested me was Doors Open Days, an annual event in September during which participating properties open their doors for just a few days to the public for a rare glimpse into their unique and historic treasures.

Doors Open Days (official) – Get into buildings! (Get into usually inaccessible historic buildings every September during Doors Open Days; searchable database and calendar updated annually, sponsored by Scottish Civic Trust and Historic Environment Scotland).

Beyond reading the books, watching the series, and reading Diana’s website and blogs like this one, many OL fans have connected, become friends, and formed groups over social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and others, often inspired by following the projects and charities of central figures like Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, and Diana Gabaldon—Herself. Comicons, Gatherings, the Highland Fling, book signings, and other OL-focused or off-shoot events also regularly occur across the U.S. and the globe. Your next travel partner, destination, business partner, or best friend may be waiting in any one of these nooks and crannies of the singularly passionate Outlander universe.

So that’s a wrap! I’ve taken you through highlights of nearly 40 different Outlander filming sites (parts 1, 2, and 3), the nuts and bolts of an Outlander-focused Scotland trip planning and reflection process (part 4), an Outlander tourism extravaganza (part 5), and the connective travel guidance to make that dream trip to Scotland a reality (part 6). Good luck in your planning and travels, feel free to share your questions, comments, or experiences, and slainte mhath!

In future posts, I’ll continue to highlight specific sites visited, services engaged, adventures experienced, and images captured during our trip. Keep coming back to my introductory post“Scotland Ventured, Scotland Gained.” to get the full scope of available bits from just after our trip last fall through the rest of this year.

Until next time, may your anticipation and experience of the Outlander STARZ TV series 3—based on Diana Gabaldon’s 3rd Outlander novel Voyager—be a joyful one. Outlander STARZ returns September 2017, but remember, the books are always available!

Kelpies – The Kelpies at The Helix (official home page) – The Helix is Scotland’s newest attraction. Cycle trails, walks, play areas, canals, habitats and artworks await. Also home to The Kelpies, monuments to horse power.

Cairngorms National Park

Inverness and Environs

Inverness Information Centre | VisitScotland – The Highland capital’s official source for info on everything to do and see in Inverness & the Highlands. Our enthusiastic team can help you book your stay, transport, day trips and cruises on Loch Ness.

As with many of my favorite movies, and even ones I don’t like much, I occasionally hear these movie lines from When Harry Met Sally running through my head as I go about my day. These days, this particular record is broken.

Sally wants a family and has just learned that her several months’ ex-boyfriend Joe is engaged. Harry has gone to her place to comfort her. She’s crying rather hysterically, having shown no signs of grief post-breakup. Finally, the bubble has burst, and Harry and Sally’s friendship takes an irrevocable turn.

What’s my point? Lord knows. But isn’t that a great scene? More entertaining than I find everyday life, which is probably why I live in the cinematic fantasy world a significant portion of the time. (Don’t need the video; it’s all memorized.) Besides, the trauma is happening to someone else. I’m comforted, safe, but it also often means the joy and rapture are more likely found elsewhere. What reward without risk?

My eight years have passed, and 32 more besides. That reminds me, I’ve decided to state my age as “ten and thirty,” as in the days of yore. That sounds much more forgiving. Go for it, 60-year-olds! Say, “I am twenty and forty” or “I am twice thirty.” Sounds younger. I got this idea from my husband, who is nearly 14 months younger than I. Very thoughtful, Dear.

No, my husband is a hoot and adorable, and my parents, bless them, still vital and being parents. But I currently have no pets or children to look after (besides the backyard birds), which is the most accepted form of daily joy. No little ones to amuse me each day, which is, of course, the primary function of kids. Right, parents? Well, maybe not “primary,” but it’s mixed in there with all the exhaustion, stress, bewilderment, and worry.

The truth is I’m on the fence about having kids and have been for a while, but the inevitable alarm bells for presumably fertile women go up in volume a few decibels with the introduction of that dreaded digit “4.” No more thirties, not that I’ll miss the years themselves. No more legitimately falling into the young category. I’m entering that middle zone some refer to as “too young to be old and too old to be young.” Sounds like license for a mid-life crisis, for sure.

But it’s certainly not a mid-reproductive years crisis. No, if it is a crisis or anything like, it’s that we’re coming down to the wire. As Sally Albright says after “this big dead end,” “and it’s not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73.” Harry replies: “Yeah, but he was too old to pick ’em up.” Sally starts to laugh but it returns to sobs.

Generally, women who want children and haven’t found a mate by their mid- to late-30s have more cause for mid-life crisis than men do, but science and evolution give us hope for higher numbers of fertile years and higher survival rates amidst high-risk pregnancies and complications of childbirth. Risk is always there, and danger still increases with age, but the 21st century is patient with late bloomers, whereas even as recently as 150 years ago, unmarried women past their twenties were already doomed to spinsterhood.

Risks and rewards come in many forms, and mean different things for different people. We as a society seem to believe we have no right to seek, let alone expect, healthy challenge or happiness in work or marriage itself or travel or the arts, especially not instead of in reproducing. Shouldn’t we take growth and joy everywhere we can get them?

You might think it depends on whether you’re passive or active in the “getting.” Actively seeking seems more honorable somehow, more adult, more enlightened than waiting for manna from heaven, as if we’re helpless, inert, ineffectual, and faithfully convinced of it. I.e., sheep.

Two movies intercede here. The Sound of Music and She’s Having a Baby, another 80s gem. “The Reverend Mother says you have to look for your life,” Maria tells Captain Von Trapp. And: “What I was looking for was not to be found but to be made,” says Jefferson Edward (“Jake”) Briggs of his wife and newborn son. Love that John Hughes.

Yet, even when we look for and make a life, nothing that results is absolutely great or horrible. Just as important as the issue of seeking actively or passively is to weigh the potential risks and rewards together.

For me, added risks come with carrying and birthing a child. Greatest of these besides age is that, due to inflammatory arthritis, any pregnancy would be considered by clinicians to be “high risk” from the start. I can imagine, have imagined the possible rewards as I watched my friends expand their families and now watch their eldest become teenagers. I’ve made my mental pros and cons lists and thought about all the right and wrong reasons and good and bad ways to have children. I’ve assessed our suitableness for parenthood and the question of passing on hereditary health conditions. Most important, after all that careful consideration and consultation, though, is to feel the desire rise above fear and doubt.

But whatever ends up touching us, however strangely or improbably it happens, however deliberately, desperately, or passionately we reach for it, there it is. It can either be good or bad for us, or both. We receive the good with the bad whether or not we want either of them.

The universe presents good, bad, worse, and better to us sometimes as options from an à la carte menu. The tongs grab the casual sex instead of the terrifying emotional chemistry that means risking great loss. Single woman will take slavery to meddling, co-dependent mother with side of slaw, instead of daunting freedom of looking for life, with unsweetened iced tea. But we always get a full plate. Another memorized movie brings the idea to a head:

“I have this theory of convergence that good things always happen with bad things, and I mean, I know you have to deal with them at the same time, but I don’t know why . . . . I just wish I could work out some sort of schedule. Am I babbling? Do you know what I mean?”

An enamored Lloyd Dobler replies, “No.”

But I got it perfectly! “Diane Court, whoa.” Genius of 1988, valedictorian of the class in Say Anything . . . Weren’t the 80s golden for rom-coms? She finds love just when her father’s life is falling apart. She can’t pick and choose. They both descend unbidden, and neither is going away any time soon. So she does the logical thing and pushes away the good out of loyalty to her lying, thieving father.

We do that sometimes—make self-sabotaging choices, afraid of happiness, scared of the sin of it, especially as others suffer, whether we play any role in their suffering or not. It feels wrong to be happy when loved ones are not. Fortunately . . . perhaps, Diane rights herself, rejecting Dad for Lloyd. The ending is open ended.

Love does not guarantee happiness; the opposite is more likely. But that doesn’t mean we should shun love. Pain is a powerful teacher. Once in a while, we learn something valuable to apply to the future.

Oh so much wisdom can be found in film. Our movie and TV heroes show us how we stumble and how to recover. They demonstrate how it’s done. The best stories at least hint at the fact that it’s an ongoing process, until it’s not.

If we’re lucky, we get to choose to embrace life or embrace death. “Get busy living, or get busy dying,” says Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption. Even more fortunate is the blessing of joy in this life. We may make our own happiness. We can certainly try.

Failing that, we can preserve our sense of wonder, mystery, beauty, or hope, even when rapture is out of reach. Even when disability, disease, injury, mistakes, conflict, or loss seems to mock our reaching.

In truth, fortune is fickle, and navigating it takes effort and patience, of initiative and waiting and recovery, and, for some, of praying. It really does seem to be all about the balance.

Whether equilibrium or tipped scales, the balance holds all. A 40-year-old can wobble like a toddler in heart or mind or body. A six-year-old can dispense ancient wisdom effortlessly. A 90-year-old can cut through the bullshit with razor sharpness. Nothing is completely as we might assume. Expect to have your expectations defied.

When you do, the likelihood of it may just increase. Sometimes a taste of the possibilities outside convention opens up the horizon like a star exploding. It’s messy, destructive even, but creative, too. We are all more resilient than we suppose, more capable of renewal and starting fresh after a fall or fallout or the numbing effects of time. I must remember this.

I think about death a lot, particularly my own, and not just because it’s my birthday. I expect to be struck down at any moment, much of the time. Especially any time I get in a car. I don’t really fixate; I just let the thoughts meander through. There’s little to stop them. Sometimes, I think I focus on death as a way to force myself to embrace life more vehemently. Losing grandparents, aunts, uncles, former classmates, and friends hasn’t done the trick. The terror does not yield to carpe diem, and some darkness lingers.

Losing the dog last February, however, brought new emptiness, which I greedily filled with guilty pleasures and renewed ambitions. Seen another way, I dusted myself off and kept going. However, along with vigorous effort and focus comes not just hope, but expectation.

We have no right to expect positive outcomes just because we are open to them or want them or reach for them or demand them. But while we’re here, we might as well try to build and enjoy something that is ours. Few will remember us for long after we’re gone, and eons from now, no one will.

Nowadays, almost as much as I think about death, I wonder about having kids, and my husband and I discuss it periodically (no, not monthly). The questions arise, along with the concerns. Answers are few and indefinite. In short, neither desire nor aversion has yet won.

People like to say, “It’s never too late,” but frankly, for everything, one day it will be. The line cavalierly sanctions procrastination of major life decisions. It’s little different from “There’s always tomorrow,” but that may truly never come, and one day, it just won’t. Do now, be now. All we know for sure is now. Do what, you ask? What is most true to yourself. This notion has become a trend and may now be somewhat out of fashion.

I’ve read my share of self-help books, most before the age of 30, and some have pearls of wisdom I’ve tucked away. You may know one that says, “Your mission in life is where your deep joy and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (I won’t say which one; I’m promoting movies, not books, today.) In reading these, and favoring this quote, I’ve trained myself to be alert to my inner truth and its expression, and it seems to be working as I work. I don’t seek out those kinds of books anymore; too many better options await my attention.

If we all cop out or settle to some degree and at some point, or even if only most of us do, it’s no great tragedy. On the other hand, if we ignore our soul’s longing completely, it may not be a mortal sin, but it could become a terminal regret. My fear of regret keeps me asking important questions such as, How can I make the most of my life? What am I meant to do?

Like today, even tomorrow may be nothing but a dream. In that case, I choose to embrace the dream, and the dreams within it. I’ve made it this far. I survived. I fulfilled the dream of turning 40. It’s a milestone, a benchmark, a signpost, a weigh station (I try not to stop at those). As if life is an aging contest or some sort of race to the finish, as if the finish line were not death itself.

Age is a sort of accomplishment in our culture. For people with, say, a terminal illness or violent household, this may well be true. Obviously, war-torn countries are so described because of death and maiming, where celebrating survival may become almost necessity. Still, in places and times of relative peace, we celebrate birthdays from year one forward, and in weeks and months before that. When birthdays are used to celebrate life and becoming, it makes sense to add some hoopla.

Otherwise, encountering another year really isn’t much of an achievement. This time, a song borrows the old adage: “Wisdom doesn’t follow just because you’ve aged.” Experience doesn’t guarantee learning. “Been there, done that” doesn’t mean you’re really any better off than someone who hasn’t. So don’t gloat so much, old fogie.

I’m certainly not done yet, not done trying to “fulfill” my “potential.” At some point, you’ve got to deliver, Dodo-head, or find yourself going the way of the dodo. And who would mourn the loss? The inability to evolve, to persevere, maintain a foothold on earth, on behalf of your species? To represent! I always feel that pressure to achieve, to make a difference, to leave a legacy, but with long-term pressure, I risk overcooking.

One side of you is saying, “And so you should.” And perhaps: “How selfish of you, how typical, to lament the inevitable passage of time, to make excuses for not using yours wisely. More selfish still, just spending (wasting) the time thinking about it because you ‘have the time’ to do so.” That’s my projected criticism from all those busy family people my age who don’t have such a “luxury,” the disapproval from the other voices in my head.

Why do I choose to look at it this way? Is that motivating? Even with these last quote marks, my defiance comes through. “I am what I am and that’s all that I am,” says Popeye. It’s a defiance to convention, conformity, being ordinary. It’s an insistence on forgiving myself for not being perfectly healthy, at my ideal weight, in shape, and bursting with energy while also juggling two jobs, a home, and children. Besides, I do juggle many parts of a busy life.

I defy contempt for privilege, I defy the progressive insistence that moral rightness means impoverishing oneself in the name of equality, and I defy the stigma and misconceptions about writers’ and artists’ lives. I could do office work, and I have done lots of it. I could do manual labor if I really, really had to, but I don’t. Now I work to be an artist, I teach for some income, and, thanks to my husband, I’m not starving. There, I said it.

Of course I would consider writing about, which requires dwelling upon, turning 40. I am a writer. And what’s more, a writer in a culture accustomed to celebrating and obsessing about birthdays. I’ve often thought that I am better suited to life as a free-wheeling scholar from the Age of Enlightenment or something than to traditional, modern-era work. Rather than snub the blessing, I embrace the chance to be just that kind of scholar and writer, while still working toward greater individual contributions to our income.

I usually try to keep my defiance in check in my writing, never wanting to seem too selfish, self-righteous, self-absorbed, too forthright, feminist, emotional, emotionalist, or otherwise stereotypically female, except in jest. But also because I claim a cherished penchant for reason and logic. True, the suppression is a bit neurotic, but, hey, awareness is the first step.

I really like that first step. I walk it all the time. It’s an infinite loop, as though I have one leg much shorter than the other and am walking in circles. Selfish –> anxious about it –> neurotic about anxiety –> selfishly neurotic. It’s oh so productive.

Defiance leaks out, anyway, eventually, in other contexts, the rest that I have—tutoring, friends, family. I’m human and American. Overall, I like to think my students and loved ones are pleased with me despite my egocentric leanings. (I would say that, wouldn’t I?)

Maybe I shouldn’t try so hard to defy expectation and to be different. The effort has become its own sort of tedious convention. Those who know me have come to expect it. Who, in the end, is truly 100 percent original? We are creatures of habit, pattern, and imitation. Relax a little when faced with things you really can’t change. Do everything in moderation, even moderation. Let loose on occasion. Balance.

And so, I revel in the riches of imagination, in all its forms, mediums, shapes, and colors. “God is in the rain,” says Evey Hammond in V for Vendetta. In nature, in reverie, in reflection. That’s where God lives for me. Where I can find something of grace, of beauty, of serenity, invigoration, balance. It is my universe. I can touch it, see it, hear it, taste it, examine it, love or hate it, reject or accept it.

We all need ways to shelter ourselves from the certainty of death, at least long enough to invest in our lives and to dream new dreams. The only soul I have to live with is this living, sensing one. I mean to do right by it. Invest in the balance, and then, “wait and hope,” as the Count of Monte Cristo says. And smile.

My new dream? Only one of many: the chance to see how I feel about all this at age 50. What of effort, deepest joy, money, ego, pain, employment, God, imagination, kids, limits, convention, neurosis, the world’s hunger, potential, balance, or wisdom then? I hope I’ll see–and hear those movie lines calling.

Here is my adapted definition of synchronicity: A mild (positive) shock of recognition of the convergence that alerts your mind to a potentially important connection between one object, person, place, or idea and another.

The phenomenon is neither deja vu nor ESP, but something akin to both. Whereas these two focus, respectively, on the past and the future, synchronicity lives in the present, with us, urging us to be captivated–now. Yet, there is a predictive factor in play with any associated time delay between one half of the connection and the other. Perhaps it is a form of ESP after all.

It serves as a kind of homing beacon, saying simply, “Yes. Yes, this is for you and you alone.” The meaning of the convergence is unique to the recipient; the recognition is one that only the recipient can experience in just this way. The effect on the recipient may be an urge or need to follow up–to say, write, or do something to acknowledge the synchronous event.

Why does it happen? Because we asked for it somewhere deep in our subconscious mind. Why do we respond as we do? Because we realize it is an answer to an unspoken (or perhaps spoken) question we had sent out into the ether.

You could call it an answered prayer. Some call it meaningless coincidence. Whatever you call it, it is good, for our good.

The Artist’s Way author Julia Cameron explains that when we open ourselves up to these connective possibilities, the flood gates open, and these moments may arise more frequently. If our answer to the “yes” of the synchronous moment is also “yes,” in the way we keep ourselves open, receptive, unafraid, even in awe, and lovingly curious about what may happen next, the chance of these recurrences increases.

An emotional rejection of the moment, whether through fear or scoffing skepticism, will discourage the shy matchmaker that is synchronicity from reappearing and offering its gifts again.

For me, the visitations have been relatively few and infrequent but, mainly, consistent with the definition and “rules” of relationship the experts present.

The most vivid recollection I have of this phenomenon is of an instance while driving in my daily commute from Cuyahoga Falls to University Circle in Cleveland several years back. It was so vivid that, in retrospect, I almost believed I must have made my query aloud. How else could the reply have come with such stark, unmistakable delivery?

Traversing a highway bridge in relatively bright daylight, I spotted a dark object ahead of me near the end of the bridge but in the middle of the road. It was fairly large, so I thought it might have been a shredded semi tire or large trash bag.

As I drew closer, details revealed a flapping motion toward the top of the somewhat rounded object. It did not move like a bag and moved too much to be heavy rubber or any other usual debris.

Considering the possibility of its being a dead animal, I was puzzled, as no road kill I had ever seen, whether squirrel or groundhog or raccoon or even deer, would present this kind of motion. Within range to see the object clearly, I gasped when I realized what it was.

The shock of recognition in this case was neither mild nor particularly positive. It was a dead Canada goose, on its back, with its stiff, webbed feet waving in the wind of the traffic on a bridge.

I had seen such geese alive hundreds of times, so ordinarily, a witnessing of this deceased version should not have disturbed or frightened me much at all, I suppose. But I immediately recalled my unspoken question of recent days, which even in my mind had been more of a passing observation:

“Hmm. I’ve never seen a dead Canada goose before.” I had thought it odd not to have seen one, or realized seeing it, in my nearly 30-year lifetime.

The universe gives us what we ask for.

After I gasped, in consternation and with furrowed brow, I said aloud, “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant!” I brought hand to face as I refocused on the road ahead of me. Being a bird lover and an animal lover makes seeing dead animals, however repeatedly, a slightly saddening experience for me, but I rarely tense up or feel the need to say or do anything in particular but sigh or inaudibly exhale and keep driving.

Even though I had no particular love of Canada geese–we all know they can be obstinate, loud and disgusting nuisances in large numbers–seeing the answer to my question lying there, in that ridiculous position, trying to swim upside down through the air while glued to the asphalt, struck me as rather horrifying. But it took the question’s existence and this clear answer of that question to create the full impact.

Was this synchronicity? If so, what ever for? Was it mere coincidence? If so, why was my reaction so vehement? Was it answered “prayer”–God, I hope not! Thinking that the last option might be the case, I was stricken with a sense of guilt and fear that I had somehow made it happen, that I had provided the outcome for myself.

How could I say “yes” to such a perceived power? Who wants to be able to kill innocent creatures one normally admires and sometimes loves by simply wondering about their death? Was it a sign that I needed to think more positively, else I could start offing things with my brain waves?

After all this, providing these definitions, rules, explanations, and the sense that I must know something of what I speak, I must confess: I don’t know why it happened or what it meant, if anything. I do know, however, that my awareness of synchronicity as a phenomenon had been heightened around the same time, though focused, or at least tossed haphazardly, in other directions.

This was certainly an unexpected confluence, an unanticipated call and response. Unwelcome is more like it. If there was anything to do, what could it possibly be? Too freaked out to follow up, to face the strangeness of it any more than sharing the story with others, I never did pursue, or seek to create, any meaning from the experience.

Is this writing piece itself the answer? Is the point merely to make material available for writerly pondering? Why do I bring this up now? Why not?

The truth is I crave positive synchronicity in my life and art. It’s a way of overcoming reluctance to express myself, of beckoning what I perceive to be external motivation to make it a regular part of my life. Yet, I have not decided exactly what constitutes regular enough or legitimately constant self-expression. Perhaps this desire is just a childish way of shirking routine responsibility.

These misgivings are the kind that lie at the heart of the purpose of The Artist’s Way program. Art is legitimate, Cameron hammers home. You do have something worth expressing. Stop asking for permission and seeking some undefined legitimacy. Just express you. Let the creativity, the communication, the thing to give flow through you out into that same ether where your questions linger and sometimes receive answers.

As a philosopher, I stand by the notion that seeking and knowing the right questions remains largely more important than having the answers. I’m good at asking provocative questions. They serve me in personal growth, as a tutor and teacher, as a mentor and writing peer, as a wife, a daughter, a caregiver of a special needs pet, and a friend.

Like anything, though, in excess, questions merely cripple, and they strain to serve the pursuit of art. This can take the form of self-sabotage.

Whether that’s what the goose encounter was or not, it definitely felt counterproductive and thwarting. It only raised more questions and fears. And it was just downright unpleasant in itself.

So, am I to redefine or relabel more appropriately, if that’s the case? Was it not synchronicity, this supreme, benevolent source of all good, as I had interpreted it to be? (Really, I thought God was saying, “Here you go!” in a cruelly cheerful tone.)

Are we all just full of shit? Sometimes I think so.

If it didn’t really mean anything, why do I feel compelled to frame it in this way, or to talk about it at all? Is the interpretation more of a twisted desperation to experience life-saving synchronicity? Or, is it a way to close the door on synchronicity’s potential forever, by saying, “If this is what it looks like, I’m not looking!”?

I wish I knew, but I don’t. All I can do is move forward now. That did happen about seven or eight years ago, anyway.

I have experienced what I would label as positive synchronicity since then, again in the context of re-raising my awareness of it, particularly in re-reading The Artist’s Way, though that isn’t the only source of discussion about it I have read. And this time, art was served, in the form of a poem, or, rather, the affirmation of a poem I had just created.

My recognition of the occurrence took the form of exclamatory marginalia, which are anything but marginal in my studious life. It impressed upon me a subtle encouragement to continue on the theme I had chosen, to try it out in new works, to dwell in the world of this general theme, which happens to be my relationship to animals.

That’s not coincidence. It’s not answered prayer. It’s not really synchronicity either. It’s just part of who I am, a thread of personality running through my experiences and artistic tendencies.

Whatever the causal label, the effective reality is authentic living, being true to myself. And by thinking and writing about it, I reinforce and hone my understanding of who I am.